PMS commercials are easy for guys to take shots at, because we simply have no idea what women go through. It’s more like nervous laughter at an inappropriate joke… we just don’t know where to look when one of these commercials comes on.
Every so often, though, comes a commercial that is worthy of being made fun of by everyone, men and women alike. In the 90s, the phrase “not so fresh feeling” entered the common lexicon because of the commerical with a mother and her daughter walking on the beach. In 2005, there’s a new contender, though I fear that because of the subtlety, it may go unnoticed.
This commercial is for Midol. It starts off with three young women on the beach. One is wearing a bikini and they others tell her they can’t believe she’s wearing a bikini while she’s PMSing. The rest of the commercial goes as these commercials usually do, until the final seconds. In these final seconds, the girl in the bikini is walking on the beach with her friends and says, “Boy, I could go for a brownie!” One of her friends rolls her eyes and responds, “Oh yeah… you’re menstruating!”
What the hell?
1. Has one woman every actually said to another, “You’re menstruating?” and 2. Just because a woman wants a brownie, it means she’s menstruating? 3. Could I manage to say “menstruating” any more in this paragraph? Aren’t you impressed I spelled it correctly without looking it up?
The line is delivered so casually and the woman’s voice fades out as the commercial ends, so I had to rewind to make sure I had heard it correctly. The subtlety of this absurd line confused me. Of course, I saved the ad to show to my wife.
My friends and co-workers should consider this fair warning. If they ever publicly profess a desire to eat a brownie, I will roll my eyes at them and confirm, “Oh yeah… you’re menstruating!”
Posted in Miscellaneous